Beneficiaries of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program who rely on the familiar rhythm of the first-of-the-month deposit will encounter an interrupted cadence between July and December of 2026, according to the official federal payment calendar.
The discrepancy is not an accounting error but the result of the Social Security Administration (SSA) longstanding rule: when the first of the month lands on a weekend or a federal holiday, the Treasury Department pushes the deposit backward to the nearest preceding business day.
A May Through December Breakdown of SSI Payment Dates
For the back half of 2026, this administrative quirk will compress two payments into the final days of July and October, effectively erasing the usual deposit alerts for the months of August and November.
A breakdown of the upcoming schedule reveals a straightforward start followed by a midsummer shift:
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May 1, 2026 (Friday): Standard issuance. No calendar conflict.
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June 1, 2026 (Monday): Standard issuance.
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July 1, 2026 (Wednesday): Standard issuance.
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August Payment: Issued on July 31, 2026 (Friday). Because August 1 is a Saturday, the funds will be made available the day prior. There will be no deposit in the month of August.
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September 1, 2026 (Tuesday): Standard issuance. Normal operations resume.
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October 1, 2026 (Thursday): Standard issuance.
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November Payment: Issued on October 30, 2026 (Friday). Because November 1 is a Sunday, the Treasury will release funds on the final business day of October. There will be no deposit in the month of November.
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December 1, 2026 (Tuesday): Standard issuance.
A note on the New Year shift: The pattern of early disbursement will repeat almost immediately after the December payment. Because January 1, 2027 (New Year’s Day) is a federal holiday, the SSI payment designated for January 2027 is scheduled to arrive on December 31, 2026.
The Maximum SSI Benefits Approved by the SSA
For those mapping out the rest of the year, the maximum federal benefit rates for 2026 are set at $994 per month for an eligible individual and $1,491 per month for an eligible couple.
These figures reflect the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) and serve as the baseline before any state supplementary payments or reductions based on income and living arrangements are applied.
The averages are quite different from the caps: for all recipients, this figure is around $737 in 2026. However, this figure varies significantly by age group, with seniors 65 and older receiving an average of about $610 per month, while children under 18 receive a higher average of approximately $872 per month.
